European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) is a civilian Common Security & Defence Policy (CSDP) mission of the European Union.[1] It aims to assist Ukrainian authorities to reform civilian security sector. It provides strategic advice and practical support to make Ukrainian civilian security sector more effective, efficient, transparent and enjoying public trust. EUAM Ukraine works with a number of law enforcement and rule of law institutions of Ukraine, and it formally began operation on 1 December 2014, following Ukrainian Government's request.[2][3][4][5]
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EUAM Ukraine has field offices in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and a Mobile Unit. Due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Mission’s field offices in Kharkiv and Mariupol are temporarily non-operational. EUAM Ukraine’s team of around 300 international and Ukrainian mission members works to implement EUAM Ukraine’s mandate.[6]
EUAM Ukraine’s mandate is implemented through three lines of operation:
- Strategic advice on civilian security sector reform, in particular, to develop strategic documents and legislation;
- Support for the implementation of reforms through the delivery of practical advice, training, projects, and equipment donations;
- Cooperation and coordination to ensure coherence of reform efforts between Ukrainian and international actors.[6]
- International Crimes
- EUAM Ukraine enhances the capacities of Ukrainian agencies and institutions to investigate and prosecute International Crimes, including war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
- Organised and Cross-Border Crime & Integrated Border Management
- EUAM Ukraine strengthens Ukraine’s capacity to fight organised crime and further develop its Integrated Border Management with special attention to countering cross-border crime as well as enhancing border traffic fluency, including with a view to trade facilitation.
- Community Safety and Police Management
- EUAM Ukraine promotes trust between Ukrainian communities and the Police through Community Safety Dialogue mechanisms and the delivery of professional police services, including in the liberated and adjacent territories in Ukraine.
- Criminal Justice
- EUAM Ukraine builds effective investigation and prosecution capacities related to judicial reform as well as transitional justice capacities to complement the Mission’s support to Ukraine in the field of International Crimes.
- National and State Security
- EUAM Ukraine reforms Ukraine’s security and intelligence agencies with a particular emphasis on capacity building and international cooperation; and bringing these under democratic oversight.
Cross-Cutting Measures
EUAM focuses on four «cross-cutting measures» each of which is integrated into the Mission’s five priority areas.
- Human Rights, Gender Equality and Minority Rights
- Mainstreaming human rights, gender equality and minority perspectives into all advice and support provided to Civilian Security Sector agencies and institutions.
- Anti-Corruption
- Recognising corruption as an endemic problem in Ukraine, and perhaps the greatest obstacle on the path to reform, to enhance the Anti-Corruption capacity of the police, prosecution and judiciary.
- Good Governance
- Good governance is concerned with reform in areas such as public administration, public oversight, public finance, and decentralisation.
- Digital Transformation and Innovation
- Bringing digital and innovative solutions to governance and human resource management.:
The current Head of Mission since 12 June 2023 is Rolf Holmboe.
Previous Heads of Mission were:
- Antti Juhani Hartikainen (July 2019 – May 2023)
- Kestutis Lancinskas[7] (February 2016 – May 2019)
- Kálmán Mizsei (August 2014 – January 2016)
When the Mission was launched in 2014, it operated from its HQ in Kyiv. As the activities were expanding and number of projects carried out by EUAM Ukraine in the regions increased, two Field Offices (FO) - in Kharkiv and Lviv - were established. In 2018, field office in Odesa and a Mobile Unit that operates across the country were added to support EUAM commitments in the regions. A second Mobile Unit that operated in Mariupol was established in 2019,[8] which, in June 2020, transformed into EUAM Field Office Mariupol to solidify EUAM's expanding activities in the east of Ukraine.[9]
Due to Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, the Mission’s field offices in Kharkiv and Mariupol are temporarily non-operational.
Some of key EUAM Ukraine achievements in the Civilian Security Sector reform include contributing to:
- drafting strategic documents (among them Law on National Security, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine's Development Strategy 2020, Witness Protection Program, Security Service of Ukraine Reform Concept and Action Plan)
- introduction of a community policing concept into police work[13]
- introduction and promotion of a new approach to public order through police training[14][15][16]
- assistance in development of the Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) programme to help fight serious and organised crime[17]
- restructuring the work of police criminal investigation departments by merging investigators and operatives etc.[18]
